1. Field of the Invention
The invention relates to a suspension system for a vehicle and, more specifically, to a system for supporting a wheel of a vehicle.
2. Description of Related Art
A vehicle suspension system typically includes a wheel support which receives, supports and enables movable mounting of a vehicle wheel of a motor vehicle. Vehicle suspension systems, that is to say wheel suspension systems, generally have a plurality of links between the frame of the vehicle and the wheel support. The wheel support is connected to the frame of the vehicle, for example, by upper and lower links which form an articulated connection to enable a controlled movement of the wheel in relation to the vehicle body. Shock absorbers and springs are provided, in order to absorb jolts and to make smooth driving possible. Other links which can connect the wheel support to the vehicle include, inter alia, camber arms and toe arms which permit setting of the wheel position. The kinematics of the wheel suspension system therefore define the three-dimensional movement of the wheel during suspension and steering movements and therefore decisively define the driving properties of the motor vehicle in real operation.
Known wheel suspension systems have rigid, that is to say stiff, connecting elements or arms and resilient bearing bushings. These rigid connecting elements provide necessary wheel suspension kinematics, force transmission, steering accuracy, etc. The resilient bearing bushings, known in one example, as rubber/metal bushings serve to set the elasto-kinematic behavior of the wheel suspension system and/or to keep undesired driving noise and vibration transmissions away from a vehicle interior. Here, the rubber body is surrounded by a metallic shell. For example, the resilience can be set by way of the rubber body which can have recesses, such as through holes and/or blind holes and/or closed chambers, but which can also be configured as a solid rubber body without any recesses. However, in interaction with the metal shell, the rubber body has to make the respectively desired compromise possible between agility and stability in the case of each different vehicle. It goes without saying that such resilient bearing bushings do not per se have to assist the compromise, it of course also being possible for further components of the wheel suspension system to be used.
Considerable complexity needs to be undertaken in order to achieve the respectively desired properties by adaptation of the rubber body. In particular, the bearing bushings have to have dimensions which are such that the maximum possible loads can be absorbed.
EP 1 785 335 B1 is concerned with an articulated connection for transmitting a steering movement to a wheel of a vehicle, having a joint device for fastening the wheel, a steering arm which is connected to the joint device and is configured for absorbing the steering movement to be transmitted and transmitting it to the joint device. The steering arm comprises a resilient material, the joint device comprising a different material than the steering arm, and the material of the steering arm being more resilient than the material of the joint device. Here, EP 1 785 335 B1 proceeds from the fact that solutions for achieving a tendency to understeer were based on the use of very soft bushing between the steering gear and subframe, as a result of which a hysteresis was added to the steering system; the measures of EP 1 785 335 B1 led successfully to an improved steering behavior of a vehicle.
EP 2 489 530 A1 describes an adjustable wheel support having a steering arm. The proximal end of the steering arm is connected to the wheel support. In order to provide a wheel support which has an optimum steering behavior which can be adapted to different operating states of the vehicle, EP 2 489 530 A1 proposes that, in a distal section, the steering arm can additionally be connected to the wheel support by means of at least one coupling device, the steering arm having a greater transverse elasticity than the rest of the wheel support.
Accordingly, one object of the present invention is providing a wheel suspension system, in which the dimensions of the bearing bushings can be reduced, and/or in which at least part of the bearing bushings can be dispensed with, with the result being that the wheel suspension system can be produced with reduced weight, less expense and with less complexity.